What Happened to July?

I mean, really; where did a whole month go. Or more like a whole month and a half.

Well, at the beginning of July, Hans left his desk job and is now selling insurance (health, life, etc...) via the internet. Hans has always been in sales (he put himself through college selling books door to door) and many years ago he sold insurance when he lived in PA. Nowadays, thanks to the internet, you no longer have to give up an entire evening while you meet with your insurance man; you can now have an online meeting, get some quotes, make a decision, and be on your way. But let me be the first to tell you, getting a license involves passing many tests and more than a bit of financial investment. At this time he's licensed to sell to Florida residents only but at least he can do it from the boat.

On the 18th we celebrated the 10 year anniversary of the day we met (which for some reason is more important to me than our wedding anniversary). Our celebration involved walking a few hundred feet to the steakhouse behind us where you can get a really great prime rib dinner as one of the early bird specials. I guess we've finally reached genuine geezer status if the term 'early bird special' gets me all excited.

Then at the end of the month Hans turned 59.

How does time fly by so fast?

 

On a more important note; Wilbur, and 'the cat next door', have become reluctant friends (more like fast friends but c'mon! a guy has a reputation to keep ya know!). This has been about a two year long endeavor and I no longer worry that Wilbur will be torn to shreds as Neighbor tends to leave right around the time Wilbur starts shoving his nose up her butt.

Sssshhhhh, don't tell anyone

And I finally dug out the Knotty Cat's original main sail where it had been sitting (and obviously fermenting) in a sail bag for far too long and even though it's hotter than hell here in Florida right now I decided it was time to do something with it. But, when I unfolded it, I was shocked at how dirty it was. I finally just cut off a big hunk and then spent the better part of two days cleaning it. I soaked it in Borax for hours, scrubbed it with Soft Scrub, and finally hung it up to dry. Needless to say I was very relieved to find that it cleaned up so nicely.

 

I had to weigh the sail down with water jugs to keep it submerged in a Borax solution

All nice and clean and hanging up to dry

After a nightmare time of splicing the handle; finally a finished bag

6 big pockets inside and also a small secure pocket for a wallet or cell phone

This leash is sewn to the top of the bag and drops down inside. That S hook works slicker than snot and attaches to a key ring in a snap.

 

Trying to splice an aesthetically pleasing splice for a bag handle is not as easy as I thought it would be. We both spent an entire day attempting such a feat and still weren't happy. Hans actually got up at 5:30 AM on Sunday and when I woke up he surprised me with a finished product that made us both happy.

Future bag handles will be knotted.

 

Hans takes his splicing seriously

 

Wilbur tries once again to look humble as he models his Knotty Cat Sail dog collar. It's made of sail cloth and has red and blue nylon accents.

Wilbur has worn his new collar at the dog park where he's rolled in dirt and so far I'm happy with it. I hit it with a shot of Krud Kutter and it seems good to go.

Now that we're half way through the dog days of August and we really do enjoy the pool I'm looking forward to cooler weather.

 

Posted with Blogsy

While the Cat's Away...

... the mice will play.

The Cat being Hans, and Wilbur and I the mice.

Hans has been away on business this week in Canada and normally this would be great for him as he gets to visit his baby brother but wouldn't you know this would be the year of the endless winter.  He very narrowly escaped being snowed in while in Halifax and is currently enjoying (read sarcasm here) 20 degree temps, gray skies, and heavy snow in Toronto.

We're both looking forward to his return tomorrow night and I've promised him a huge pot of home made chile with lots of Italian bread and butter, and a cooler full of beer (purchased at American, not Canadian prices!).  Actually, I should say we're all three looking forward to his return as poor Wilbur, who is fine during the day, surely misses Hans in the evening. Wilbur gets worked up every time a car drives by and he alternates between sitting in the salon with me and then thumpety bumping down to our berth  where I believe he thinks if he falls asleep there, Hans will magically reappear.

So get this.  Today I was at my favorite fabric store (no sarcasm here, it really is fantastic) when the lady waiting on me said, "Is the weather improving out there yet?"  

I was puzzled because the sky was bright blue and completely cloudless while a wonderful cool breeze with absolutely no humidity made me realize (for now but probably not next week) how happy I am to live in Florida. "Oh my God!" I exclaimed.  "It's gorgeous out there!"  and understand, I was in my usual uniform of shorts and flip flops.

"You must be nuts." was her casual reply.  Because heavens to Betsy, it was a bitter 68 degrees out!  These crazy native born Floridians!

Wilbur toasts his sad little bones in the cockpit while he awaits his masters return.

I made Wilbur a new collar last month and I've been on a tear ever since. The boat is now covered in fabric and dog/cat collar hardware as I hope I've found something I can do to earn money (and hopefully donate to some helpless fur-babies) while living on a boat.

Wilbur went to bed in our berth tonight much earlier than usual while waiting for Hans to come home.  He heaved a huge sigh when I covered him with a blanket. He's not happy unless we're all together as a pack.

So while Hans has been gone this week:

I woke up later than usual, didn't get the things done I thought I would, and ended up eating bologna sandwiches for dinner (just one night. Really).

I got out my sewing machine and it's yet to get put away.

Therefore there's no room on our table for me to eat my meals.

But that's okay since Wendy's take out containers are pretty sturdy.

Even though our queen sized berth is missing a rather large German Man, I still find myself mashed up against the wall.  It would appear that Wilbur requires a great deal of room for his tender pitty body, and I'm thrilled that he so loves my Memory Foam Pillow.

I've kept an eagle eye on our bilges and batteries.

Yet, after carefully locking Wilbur and myself in for the night, including securing all our hatches and having my phone beside me, I awoke one morning to find my keys still stuck in the cockpit door. On the outside.

I know Wilbur and I will be very glad to have Hans come home tomorrow night.  The boat would never get cleaned otherwise, Wilbur needs his daddy, and I can't eat a whole pot of chile on my own. Actually, I could. I just miss Hans.